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Since January of this year approximately 43 new Civil
War-related books have been released, and while some offer new
insights on familiar battles, leaders and units, most have
unfortunately consisted of a rehashing of well-worn topics.

It was refreshing, therefore, when I discovered a new book
that tackles a subject hitherto ignored by historians. The book
is entitled "The Civil War of the Worlds: First-Hand
Accounts of UFOs and Other Mysterious Phenomena During
Americas Civil War", by Edgar Riley. I must admit
that, until I read this book, I was totally unaware of the
apparent wealth of written and photographic evidence of
unidentified flying objects, sea creatures, and other strange
beings from the 1860s. After I finished reading this book,
I was not so amazed by the sightings themselves as I was in Mr.
Rileys ability to amass such a collection of evidence. If
there were a Pulitzer Prize for research, Mr. Riley would win,
hands down.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the wealth of photographs
and illustrations Riley includes in the book. It is one thing to
read about a weird experience and quite another to see
photographic proof, and this book will more than satisfy those
who must see something before theyll believe it. Among the
forty-eight photographs in this book is this picture, taken in
Charleston, South Carolina in early 1865. Although
Charlestons devastation was caused by Northern artillery
and not by alien spacecraft, the appearance of these four objects
over the war-ravaged city is almost reminiscent of the film
"Earth vs. the Flying Saucers".

(Click for full sized image)

The diary of Captain Marcus Twining, a member of General
Hookers staff, includes an account of "a metallic
object that hovered over the (Rappahannock) riverbank for almost
ten minutes" in March of 1863. Members of the 10th New
Jersey Cavalry stopped to watch it as it floated over a Union
pontoon bridge. Photographer Joshua Rice managed to capture the
incident on film, just moments before the object disappeared over
the hill, flying at a tremendous speed.

(Click for full sized image)

Nathan B. Maddington, an artist for Leslies Illustrated,
was present at the Battle of Gettysburg. He remained in the town
after the battle to sketch various battlefield scenes for
Leslies. In 1994, Maddingtons great-great-niece
Marcie Maddington Pence discovered a Maddington sketchbook in a
trunk she retrieved from her aunts attic. Among the various
sketches was this one, a scene of Confederate dead in The
Wheatfield, which includes what appears to be crop circles in
middle of the field. This drawing may actually be the first
visual evidence of crop circles in history. In addition, this
sketch may explain a stanza in soldier/writer Lucius Dodds
poem, "Mark the Gravesites, Boys" that has puzzled
historians for years:

Amongst the circles of The Wheatfield

Yankee boys did fall;

Ground lines point to Rebel battries,

A hail of buck and ball.

Rileys book also includes sightings of unusual
creatures, such as the two Tennessee infantrymen who had an
encounter with Bigfoot on the eve of the battle of Chickamauga.
Privates Ott Morton and Billy Chandler were on picket duty when
they heard "a shreek the likes a I nevver heerd before or
evver agin", according to Morton. They approached the edge
of the woods to investigate and literally ran into a
ten-foot-tall hairy creature. "It had eyes like hot
coals," stated Chandler, "and breth like a smell of
rotten meet." They ran back to camp, screaming. Their
sergeant didnt believe them at first, until they took him
to the woods edge the next morning. There, imbedded in the
wet ground, were footprints 22 inches long.

A highlight of Rileys book is an incredible photograph -
possibly the only one in existence, but certainly the oldest - of
the Chesapeake Bay sea creature known as "Chessie". The
photo was taken at City Point, Virginia in 1864. On the left-hand
side of the photo, the head and neck of Chessie can clearly be
seen as she (or he!) swims past the Union ships delivering
supplies for the Federal army. Look closely and you can even see
the body of the creature just below the surface of the water. The
picture has been examined by photographic experts and has been
declared genuine.

If you have an interest in Civil War history, or if you are
merely a fan of the strange and paranormal phenomena, you will
thoroughly enjoy "The Civil War of the Worlds: First-Hand
Accounts of UFOs and Other Mysterious Phenomena During
Americas Civil War". Riley plans on releasing a second
volume near the end of this year, and I will anxiously be
awaiting its release.